


This Could Be Us But You Playin Ring Toss

by aceAdoxography, AllDaveKat



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Anal Sex, Angst with a Happy Ending, Didn't Know They Were Dating, First Dates, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Humanstuck, Illustrations, M/M, Miscommunication, Mutual Pining, Roleplay Logs, Self-Esteem Issues, at least Dave doesn't, bigkat, county fair
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-12
Updated: 2020-03-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:02:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23114392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aceAdoxography/pseuds/aceAdoxography, https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllDaveKat/pseuds/AllDaveKat
Summary: Karkat has been in love with his best friend Dave for years but never got the courage to ask him out. When he finally does, Dave doesn't realize it's a date.
Relationships: Dave Strider/Karkat Vantas
Comments: 37
Kudos: 304





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for emetophobia in this chapter.

Dave is having a crappy fucking day.

First, he wakes up late for his History of Photography class and misses half the lecture, which he wouldn’t normally care about except that there’s supposed to be a test on the material next week. Then his laptop dies during his second class so he doesn’t have any way of taking notes. And _then_ , when he goes to buy lunch, he realizes he forgot his wallet back in his dorm. By the end of the day, he’s grumpy and hungry. All he wants to do is go home, smoke a bowl, and mainline several bags of Doritos.

He’s walking through the quad when he spots his best friend Karkat sitting on a bench, eating a yogurt and reading a book with his usual sour look on his face. Dave unconsciously smiles at the sight. Karkat, despite perpetually being in a terrible mood, always manages to make Dave feel better just by being around him. That’s just how it is with your best friend, Dave guesses.

Lately, though, Karkat’s been avoiding Dave, and he isn’t sure why. In fact, he hasn’t even seen the guy in person in almost a week.

The last time he saw him, Karkat was acting really weird. He asked Dave if he wanted to grab dinner in town, but then before Dave could even answer, he changed his mind, said he wasn’t hungry, and left. Whatever, maybe he was feeling sick or something. Dave just hopes he hasn’t done anything to piss the guy off, God knows it’s easy enough to do.

Ever since then, Karkat’s been giving him weird shifty excuses whenever Dave asks him to meet up, and Dave is sick of it. He’s going to get to the bottom of this weirdness, either that or brute force his way through it and get back in Karkat’s good graces one way or another.

Dave sneaks around behind Karkat, then hops over the back of the bench to sit right next to him, nice and cozy.

“Hey sweet cheeks,” he says, poking Karkat in the arm affectionately. “Where the hell have _you_ been? I haven’t seen you in a fuckin’ eternity, you been avoidin’ me or something?”

-

Karkat is, all told, a coward. It sucks but it's the truth, a single constant in the shifting tectonic plates of his life. He tries not to be, but in moments when he needs courage the most he finds it abandons him.

His current dilemma lies in Dave Strider, his best friend and long-standing crush. Karkat's been trying to confess his feelings and ask him out for nearly 6 months now, but every time he ends up making an ass out of himself. He's fairly sure Dave thinks he's on the verge of a mental break and he might be right.

Last week was a disaster. And the week before that, and the one before that. But he finally broke down and went crawling to Kanaya and is now armed with an actual goddamn plan. An idiot-proof plan. A Karkat-proof plan.

A plan that is to be implemented far before Karkat was anticipating, it appears, when Dave plops next to him on a bench and startles him from his thoughts. Karkat's face scrunches up in a scowl even as his heart pounds heavily in his chest. Fucking Dave and his pet names and insistence on ignoring personal space. Karkat loves him.

"I've been working, dipshit," Karkat says, snapping his book shut with a huff and nudging Dave back with his shoulder. It’s true, he's picked up a few extra shifts at his shitty movie theater job, just in case this goes well and Dave actually agrees to go out with him. Karkat is a coward but he’s also a goddamn gentleman. "Some of us have to do that. And don't fucking call me that."

-

Dave scoots back a little to give Karkat some space. The guy’s like a grumpy housecat sometimes, always bristling about something or another.

“Hey, I work too, just cause it’s from home doesn’t mean it doesn’t count,” Dave protests. “You know, I actually make better money from SBAHJ ad revenue than I ever did working in fast food. Maybe you should try to make yourself a semi-famous webcomic too.”

“Well you’re not working right now,” he continues, tilting his head to the side and grinning. “Wanna grab something to eat? I’m fuckin’ starving. I gotta stop by the dorms first to grab my wallet. Come on, I’ve been missin’ you, dude, spend some quality time with your main man D Strides.” His voice sounds like it’s whining a little, but it’s ironic, so it’s okay.

Dave stands up from the bench and offers his hand to Karkat to help pull him up.

-

Karkat takes Dave's hand, allowing himself to be pulled off the bench. He tries and fails not to let his touch linger but he doubts Dave notices. He's always been tactile with Karkat in a way he typically isn’t with others. Karkat doesn’t let it go to his head.

"Your shitty webcomic is nowhere near 'semi-famous' you pretentious doucheshit," Karkat says, even though it kind of is. "And what the fuck was that last panel even about? Christ, it's like you make it to piss me off specifically."

They head in the direction of the dorms and Karkat takes a few deep breaths. Now is a good time, he just has to open his mouth and ask him, like a fucking normal person. Kanaya's voice echoes in his head, telling him to stop overthinking things. But fuck Kanaya would be disappointed if Dave says no; her face had lit up when Karkat agreed to let her dress him.

-

“Aw, you read my last update, babe? Are you subscribed to me so you can get that sweet email notification whenever I post something, cause you can’t wait to get your grubby little eyes all over my latest masterpiece?” Dave teases.

It actually does make him really happy that Karkat reads his comics, especially since he knows Karkat fucking hates them. He must really like Dave, anyway, to put up with his shit. What a softie. Dave resists the urge to noogie him.

“Yeah you’re actually kind of my muse,” he continues. “I specifically thought of you as I was drawing Hella Jeff making out with Katherine Heigl while Sweet Bro looked on and jacked off onto a video cassette tape of 27 Dresses. If you look closely the splooge stains on the cassette actually spell out the word ‘Karkat.’”

-

Karkat's face scrunches up. "You're so fucking disgusting. I can't believe I put up with you."

He pushed Dave in retaliation--gently, because sometime in the last two years he'd somehow grew a foot and a half and gained like 50 pounds-- and Dave swerved to the side with a laugh.

"If I didn't read your piece of shit comic I'd have no idea what you were talking about. 80 percent of the garbage you spew is self referential." He's exaggerating, a little bit. It's more like 50 percent. They were coming up on the dorms and Karkat feels nervousness bloom in his stomach.

"Whatever, anyway. Look there's a fair coming up next weekend," Karkat grits out, hoping his coloring will hide the blush on his cheeks. "It's pretty small and shitty but you said before you've never been to one so. Do you. Want to go? With me."

God damn but this is embarrassing. He forces himself to breathe evenly, biting his cheek in an effort not to take the words back and flee.

-

Dave can’t help feeling a little relieved when Karkat asks if he wants to hang out next weekend. He guesses this means Karkat probably isn’t mad at him or avoiding him, and is actually telling the truth about having to work the whole last week. There had been a couple times in the past when he’d done something stupid and pissed Karkat off bad enough that it caused an actual fight between them. Dave tries not to push things that far anymore, he doesn’t actually like making Karkat feel bad or anything, so he’s happy that things are seemingly back to normal.

“Aww, babe are you askin’ me out on a date?” Dave pretends to swoon as they climbed the stairs to his room. He almost slips and falls, but catches himself just in time. Damn, he should know better than to mess around on the stairs...

“Mistah Vantas, so forward of you, my poor li’l southern heart just can’t take it!” he drawls, clutching at his chest dramatically.

-

Damn Dave Strider and his irrepressible urge to turn everything into a fucking joke. The sting of rejection has him hunching his shoulders and crossing his arms over his chest. He doesn’t know why he ever expected this to go differently.

"Fuck you, Strider. If you don't wanna go just say so." His voice sounds annoyed instead of hurt, which is for the better. He doesn’t need Dave feeling sorry for him. "I've got a class to get to."

He turns to walk away, leaving Dave to his dramatics halfway up the steps. He pushes his own emotions as far down as they can go and wonders how to break the news to Kanaya. He hopes she hasn’t started sewing anything for him yet.

-

“Whoa, hey hold up,” Dave grabs Karkat by the shoulder. Damn, he’s in a touchy fuckin’ mood today.

“I didn’t say I didn’t want to go,” he corrects him. “It sounds like fun actually, geez, I was just yankin’ your chain a lil’ bit. I’ll try and be less of an asshole for a few minutes though, since it seems like you’re not in the mood.”

He gives Karkat his best half-smile. “What time did you wanna go? I can’t get up too early ‘cos I need my beauty sleep, but I could meet you around noon and head over there? I can drive if you want. I’ll even buy you a cotton candy or whatever the fuck kind of shitty overpriced snacks they sell at these events.”

He’s maybe sucking up to Karkat just a little bit, to get back on his good side, but whatever. Dave Strider is nothing if not persistent and clingy.

-

Karkat stops at the warm hand on his shoulder and turns back. Dave's apologetic smile sends a pleasant warmth through him, even with the rejection still smarting. It takes a moment to process his words but when they do a rare smile stretches across his face.

"You wanna go?" he asks, stomach erupting with butterflies. "Yeah, noon is fine. And don't worry about paying, I've got enough for both of us. You can't buy your own shit at your first fair."

He runs a hand through his already messy hair. "I really do have a class to get to."

He could skip it, but he's already gotten a lower grade than his usual perfect score due to the extra hours he's picked up. Still, this makes it all worth it.

-

Karkat smiles at Dave, a real one, and whoa, what the fuck. Dave feels his heart start racing and cheeks heat up. Huh, must be because it’s a hot day out, and they were climbing the stairs. Not because… he definitely doesn’t have _those_ kinds of feelings…

Well, okay. To be completely and totally fucking honest, Dave does have some of those kinds of feelings.

It’s just that, over the past couple years, Karkat had gotten weirdly _buff_ and just like, _hot_?? At first it actually caused a bit of a sexuality crisis for Dave, because he thought he was straight, but getting a boner four times in a row from seeing your best friend shirtless is... not a super straight thing to do.

Anyway, he’s totally over all that now, but he still has _eyes_ , okay, and his best friend is undeniably a hottie and a fuckin’ half. It isn’t going to cause any problems in their friendship, though, as long as Dave makes sure Karkat never knows he occasionally lusts after him. It’s fine. Everything is fine, and totally under control.

Dave watches Karkat ruffle his own hair and has to look away because he suddenly has an urge to ruffle it himself. What the fuck, Dave, stop being a fucking weirdo.

“Yeah, sure,” he says casually, not betraying any of the thoughts racing around his head. “I’ll meet you back here on Saturday and we can drive over together. Sound good?”

-

"Sounds great," Karkat says quickly, and fuck that wasn't too much, was it? He doesn’t want to seem like a desperate fool even though that's totally what he is. He clears his throat and nods coolly at Dave. "See you then."

He leaves quickly and, when he’s sure he’s out of sight, buries his head in his hands and grins like an idiot. He has a date with the boy he's been in love with for years. He takes a breath and fishes his phone out of his pocket. He has to let Kanaya know. This is gonna be great.

\----

"I'm gonna fuck this up," Karkat says as Kanaya fiddles with his hair. He’s more nervous than he's ever been, which is stupid because it’s just Dave. Just Dave, who's been there for him with his shitty jokes and awful poker face through thick and thin.

“You will not fuck anything up,” Kanaya insists, stepping back to analyze the look she put together for him.

He’s wearing a black button up shirt, top buttons undone and sleeves pushed up to his elbows, and an uncomfortably tight pair of dark wash jeans. Kanaya did something with his hair to make it look purposefully messy instead of its usual rat’s nest. Karkat put his foot down when she pulled out the makeup but she put her foot down right back and that’s how he ended up with subtle eyeliner smudging his eyes.

“You look good.” She nods approvingly and tries to push him towards her full length mirror. He doesn’t budge. Since his growth spurt he’s been told by his friends that he’s variations of hot and attractive but he finds it hard to believe. All he sees when he looks in the mirror is more to hate.

It doesn’t really matter, he supposes, because despite how he initially came off Dave isn’t actually that shallow. And he said yes, Karkat reminds himself.

“Thanks Kanaya,” he says. She smiles at him like she can read his thoughts and pushes him out the door, wishing him luck.

Kanaya lives off campus but it isn’t that far to the dorms. Karkat’s stomach churns the closer he gets and by the time he’s standing at the bottom of the stairs he feels like he’s about to puke. He pulls out his phone and shoots a text off to Dave letting him know he’s here, then immerses himself in a game of candy crush. He desperately needs the distraction.

-

Dave is all ready to go to the fair for the very first time. He has on his favorite comfy jeans and t-shirt, his shades of course, and a sun-hat with an ironically wide straw brim. His phone pings with a text from Karkat saying he’s here, and Dave grabs his wallet and dashes down the stairs to meet him.

He reaches the bottom and sees Karkat with his head buried in his phone. Probably playing candy crush again, he’s obsessed with that stupid game, Dave thinks fondly.

“Hey,” he calls out as he approaches. “Y’all ready for this?”

They walk down to the parking garage and get in Dave’s kind of shitty car, the best he can afford on his SBAHJ salary. He’s Toyota-Corolla-famous, not, like, _Lamborghini_ -famous. Dave turns on some of his own music for the ride, and sees Karkat tapping his foot ever so slightly to the beat in the passenger seat. He hides a smile, Karkat always acts like he hates everything Dave makes, but Dave isn’t so easily fooled.

He notices Karkat’s wearing a new outfit, actually, he looks kind of dressed up. “Yo, you look nice, dude, what’s the occasion?”

-

Karkat does his best not to blush at Dave’s words and fiddles with his shirt sleeves. Kanaya was _very_ clear that he isn’t to mess with the outfit in any way and even though Karkat itches to pull the sleeves down to cover as much skin as possible he suspects she would somehow know. Kanaya has a weird sort of ESP when it comes to both Karkat and fashion.

“Thanks,” he manages. Is Dave fucking with him? Probably. He’s wearing a goddamn sunhat and still insists on his shades like a tool. It’s overcast today. “I told Kanaya and she insisted.”

Well, it was more like Karkat begged her to end his suffering and she graciously cobbled together both a plan and an outfit for him but. Dave doesn’t need to know that. Dave isn’t dressed up; Karkat has seen him in this exact outfit hundreds of times, minus the ridiculous hat. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t look good though, and this is a date, right? He’s allowed to say this shit now.

“You uh, look good too?” It came out a question and Karkat closes his eyes for a moment, sending up a prayer to whatever god is listening to please strike him down. Christ he’s bad at this. So much for all those romance novels he read in high school (and absolutely does not have a stack of piled under his bed right now).

-

Dave looks down at his outfit. “...Thanks? I literally wear this every day. Oh, you probably meant the hat, huh.” He tips it like a true southern gentleman. “I can get you one too if you like it that much, I just found it at the dollar store dude. Pretty sexy, right?”

It isn’t too long of a drive before they arrive at the fairgrounds, just outside of town. Dave can’t help bouncing on his feet excitedly as they wait in line to buy tickets. There’s just so much amazingly ironic, terrible garbage _everywhere_.

He can see a sign for turkey legs that you’re apparently supposed to gnaw on like a fuckin’ caveman?? And over there is a guy selling hot tubs, because yeah, when you go to the fair for a fun day out, you’re _really_ thinking, “Gee I wish I could purchase an expensive appliance today, and then have to figure out the logistics of getting it installed in my home, and also probably go deep into debt, just so I can have a bathtub in my house with jet streams to propel water up my own asshole.”

Dave nudges Karkat, grinning. “Hey dude, do you think I should get a hot tub for my dorm room? If I get rid of my bed I’d probably have room for it, I could just sleep in the tub instead, like a water bed, that’s a thing, right?”

-

Karkat rolls his eyes as he pays for their tickets--shelling out the extra money for unlimited rides and getting wristbands in return. “Do you want to drown, Strider? Because that’s how you drown.”

He tugs Dave past the ticket booth and looks around. People are bustling around the game booths, distant screams come from the dubiously safe rides, Karkat’s pretty sure a kid is puking in that trash can. Typical fair.

“Have you eaten yet? We should get the rides out of the way so you don’t regurgitate an entire funnel cake on my shoes because we were too stupid to think about it beforehand.” Karkat realizes his hand is still wrapped around Dave’s wrist and lets go quickly before realizing that it’s okay to do that now. Although he’s too awkward to try to grab his hand again now. Fuck. To cover his nervousness he grabs the brim of Dave’s hat and tugs it down over his date’s eyes, knocking his sunglasses askew. “C’mon, which one do you wanna do first?”

-

Dave is a little disappointed when Karkat lets go of his wrist, but he tries not to think about it too hard. He looks around at the different rides, god, there are so many to choose from, and they all look so amazingly terrible.

“Oh my god,” he breathes, pointing. There’s a roller coaster with a straight up and down part that makes it look exactly like a giant dick pointing to the heavens. It’s perfect.

Dave turns to Karkat and gets down on his knees, clasping his hands. “I want to go on the dick coaster, Karkat, please for the love of fuck can I ride that dick with you??”

-

Jesus Christ this boy is going to be the death of him. Fucking of course he would choose the one that looked like a giant phallus, what was Karkat even thinking. He yanks Dave up off his knees, blushing profusely despite no one around giving a shit.

He groans. “Fuck, fine, I will ride the dick coaster. You know the carriages go upside down right? If we die on the first ride I’m blaming you.”

He slips his hand around Dave’s back to nudge him forward so they can stand in line. The screams and laughter get louder the closer they come and Karkat tries very hard not to find the way Dave is bouncing on the balls of his feet endearing. He fails, but it’s the thought that counts, right?

The line goes fast, and soon they’re crammed into a carriage with a bored teenager making sure they’re strapped in correctly.

-

Dave is so excited to ride this roller coaster. He’s never been on one before, so he’s maybe just a teensy tiny bit nervous, but it always looks like people are having a great time on them in movies and shit. He’s so fuckin’ ready.

The attendant buckles him in next to Karkat, and then the ride starts up. It’s kind of bumpy, but overall nothing crazy. It isn’t going that fast yet, and Dave feels confident that he can handle this thing.

They start chugging up the shaft of the dick, and damn, they’re really high up now, huh. Dave turns to make some joke to Karkat about them being the little sperms shooting to the tip of the dick, or something, but before he can get any words out, the ride suddenly shoots upward fast as fuck and he can’t even breathe, much less speak.

Oh god, it just keeps climbing up the dick faster and faster, and then they’re at the top, and now they’re plunging back down the shaft, and oh fuck, Dave is going to die, he’s actually going to die right here. He wants to scream but his breath keeps getting stolen away by the speed of the ride. His stomach is in his throat. Oh Jesus Christ, now they’re _upside down_ , holy fuck, he hates this, he never wants to do this again.

Mindlessly, he gropes for Karkat’s hand and squeezes it as tightly as he can, to soothe his fear that his buckle might come undone and he’ll fall right out of the fucking sky and splat onto the grass below.

-

Karkat is having a fucking blast. He always forgets how much he loves roller coasters until he’s in the air with his heart pounding in his ears and stomach swooping over and over again. This isn’t even his favorite ride, though it’s likely the most adventurous of the ones at this shitty little fair.

He can’t help but let out a delighted shout the first time they go upside down. Then a hand grabs his own in a death grip and he looks over to see Dave, jaw tense and face pale as fuck. He laughs.

"Dick too bomb for you, Strider?" he says, then immediately feels like an asshole. He wrestles his hand free and throws his arm around Dave's shoulders, pulling him in close. "Don't worry, it's almost over."

There are two or three more rotations before they slow down. Karkat keeps Dave pressed against him until they’re released from the ride. The carnie takes a look at Dave's face and shaky stance and, with the tone of a man who's seen it all, jerks his thumb over his shoulder and says, "Trash is that way."

-

Dave’s head is spinning and his stomach writhes angrily as he steps off the ride. Karkat pushes him gently toward a trash can and he bends over it to puke up his breakfast. Blughhh. Gross.

He stumbles over to a nearby bench and sits down, putting his head between his knees, trying to make the spinning stop. It… kind of works? He feels Karkat’s arm around him and leans into him gratefully. He focuses on steadying his breathing until he feels like he probably isn’t gonna throw up again.

“Man,” he says in a hoarse voice, sitting up to look at Karkat. “ _Fuck_ roller coasters.”

-

Karkat rubs wide circles on Dave's back. He can’t help but feel kind of guilty. And disappointed. So far he's made Dave puke on their first date and it hasn't even been an hour yet.

"We probably shouldn't have started with that one," he admits. He pulls away from Dave and stands up. "Stay here."

He jogs over to one of the many food trucks, gets a bottle of water, and jogs back. He hands it to Dave, who looks a bit better. "Do you wanna head back? We could watch Netflix or something. Sollux is visiting his girlfriend for the weekend."

-

“Nah, bro, I’m just getting started here,” Dave reassures him. He doesn’t want to ruin their day out, and he honestly isn’t feeling that bad now that his stomach has settled. “A little vomit never hurt anybody. Or whatever, idk if that’s actually a saying. Feelin’ a little light headed, I’m not on top of my idiom game right now.”

He sips at the water.

“I might not… want to do that particular ride again,” he admits. “But I’d be down to check out whatever else they got here. Isn’t there supposed to be like, games and farm animals and shit? That sounds safe enough.”

-

Karkat does his best not to smile. He loves the little petting zoo area they put out at fairs. They’re always overrun with excitable children but there are baby cows, sheep, chickens, and sometimes horses.

"Let's go see the animals," he says, offering Dave his hand and pulling him off the bench. "We should do games last in case we luck out and actually fucking win something for once. "

He leads Dave through the crowd, ignoring his hot face. They aren’t even really _holding hands_ ; their fingers aren't laced or anything, but Karkat still feels like a giddy thirteen year old who's had his first kiss. Not that he had his first kiss at thirteen but--whatever.

-

Dave lets Karkat pull him down the crowded path, squeezing between groups of strangers, dodging strollers. Karkat is kind of intense when he has somewhere he wants to be, and Dave finds it’s easier to just hold on and let him lead the way, apologizing to anyone they inadvertently bump against.

They stop in front of a fenced-off area with a whole bunch of animals locked inside. There’s a group of kids clamoring in front of the fence, reaching their hands out to pet a goat that looks like it’s about to bite someone’s fingers off. Several families are standing in line to buy food for the animals. Dave glances around inside the pen and locks eyes with the _dumbest_ looking llama he’s ever seen in his life. Not that he’s ever seen a llama before, but, shit, this one just looks so fuckin’ derpy. It’s adorable.

One purchase of llama food later, Dave is leaning over the fence, holding out a handful of pellets as the large shaggy animal slurps at his hand with its giant weird lips. This is _so_ much better than the roller coaster, he thinks happily.

-

Karkat keeps his distance from the llamas that Dave is so enamored with. He plays Minecraft; he knows that llamas spit like a motherfucker. Dave is fucking adorable though, halfway over the fence with his arm jutted out, a silly smile on his face.

Karkat averts his eyes; a habit he's picked up in order to keep Dave from noticing he stares at him so often. As he gazes over the crowd a certain cow catches his attention and--

"Holy shit Dave look! It's you!" he points at the cow, small and with two black spots around its eyes, a thin line of black connecting them over its nose. The spots are even kind of shaped like Dave's douchey shades.

Karkat beelines towards the cow without waiting for Dave. He has his phone out and camera pulled up in a second. This is too fucking good not to snap a picture of.

"Strider if you don't pose with this adorable fucking cow I will end your pitiful life I swear to god."

-

Dave looks where Karkat is pointing and smirks, that cow really _does_ look like him, what the fuck. He stands in front of it obediently so Karkat can get his precious photo op.

“Let me see the picture.” He grabs the phone from Karkat impatiently, and cracks up as he sees that he and the cow are both giving the camera the same deadpan poker-faced look.

“God damn, this cow might be even cooler than I am,” Dave muses. “Look at its perfect expression… it doesn’t even give a single shit that its tits are just hangin’ out there, for everybody to see.”

-

Karkat takes his phone back and smirks. "This cow is a hundred times cooler than you could ever be, Dave. Just accept that you're the biggest nerd on the planet and move on."

As an afterthought, he sends Kanaya the picture and even adds a little grinning emoji before slipping it back in his pocket. They had a rocky start but at least Dave seems to be enjoying himself with his feet on the ground.

He reaches over the fence and pats the cow on its nose. It looks up at him with its big eyes and Karkat feels his heart melt a little bit. He’s a big fucking softie. No one can know.

-

“I can’t possibly be the biggest nerd on the planet, since you fuckin’ exist already,” Dave taunts. He stands behind Karkat and drapes his arms over his shoulders, leaning on him as they watch a piglet rolling around in a puddle of mud and probably its own shit.

“I’m kinda hungry, on account of my stomach expelling all its earthly possessions. You wanna grab some lunch?” he suggests.

He wanders over to a stand nearby advertising seventeen different types of fried food. Dave wants to get his grubby little hands all over that shit. He takes a deep breath, hmmmmm, it smells so… _fried_.

-

Karkat follows Dave to the food stands and gets to work fishing out his wallet from his back pocket. God damn lousy fucking tight jeans; they may as well be painted on.

“Get whatever you want,” he tells Dave. “I’m paying, remember.”

The food is overpriced but fuck if it doesn’t feel good to take care of Dave for a bit. He’ll never outright admit it but Karkat worries about him. He has some really fucking weird eating habits. Karkat rarely sees him eat anything substantial and he hides junk food all over his room. He has a decent bit of muscle but he’s skinny as hell.

He’s pleased when Dave orders a fair bit of food. Karkat adds his own meal to the mix and also gets two funnel cakes for dessert, because he’s weak and they’re the best part about these shitty little county fairs.

“Try not to puke this back up,” he needles Dave as they head towards the picnic tables.

-

Dave sits down, takes a bite of his fried burrito, and moans pornographically.

“Karkat, holy shit, you gotta try this. It tastes exactly like how sex would taste like if sex was a food.” He shoves the burrito in Karkat’s face, waving it around under his nose.

When he finishes his burrito, he starts on the funnel cake. He sniffles and wipes a fake tear from his eye at how good it tastes.

God, this is so much more food than he normally eats. It isn’t that he can’t afford food or anything, he just always forgets to make himself eat actual meals ever. He mostly subsists on Doritos and apple juice, to be honest. Anyway, he’s glad Karkat had the foresight to wait to do lunch until after the roller coaster, because boy howdy is his stomach _full_ right now.

-

Dave moans around his burrito with more enthusiasm than Karkat has ever heard in actual porn and his blood doesn’t know whether to rush to his face or his dick. From the corner of his eye he sees a mom toss a disgusted look in Dave’s direction and usher her kids away. Dave doesn’t notice, too busy waving the burrito in Karkat’s face.

Karkat takes a bite. It’s good, but not moaning good and his “Dave hasn’t been eating enough” alarms go off in his head. He subtly pushes some of his own food in Dave’s direction.

When they finish eating Karkat stands up and stretches, his back popping.

“C’mon, let’s go play some games,” he says, wrapping his arm around Dave’s shoulders. He’d go for the waist but Dave is kind of short as fuck compared to him; most people are now. “How good are you at ring toss?”

-

Dave tries not to get flustered as Karkat puts his arm around his shoulders. Normally Dave is the one being tactile with Karkat, and not the other way around, but today he’s being extra cuddly. Not that Dave is complaining, or anything, just… noticing. And trying not to notice himself noticing.

“No fucking idea,” Dave replies cheerfully. “Never played it before.” He flexes his fingers in preparation for tossin’ some rings, or whatever.

They arrive at the booth, and get in line. Dave looks around at the prizes hanging from the booth’s walls and roof. There’s an adorable little red crab plush with furrowed eyebrows that reminds Dave of Karkat.

“Yo, Karkat,” he nudges him. “I’m gonna win you that crab, just watch me. Aren’t I just a fuckin’ gentleman? Come on. Tell me this ain’t the best date you’ve ever been on,” he says jokingly.

-

Karkat glances at the crab plush and rolls his eyes. It’s kind of cute though. “Gonna win it for me with your non-existent ring toss skills?”

He pretends to think, just to fuck with Dave. “I dunno Strider, you didn’t even get me flowers. What kind of bullshit gentleman doesn’t get their date flowers? Also none of my previous dates involved vomit but I guess that one was partially my fault.”

Not that he’s been on many dates before. There were a couple, but none of them were as nice as this one. It helps that he already _knows_ Dave, he supposes. Knows he likes him, knows that he’s a good guy and a complete fucking dork underneath the superficial layer of douchebaggery he insists on.

He bumps his shoulder into Dave’s as they reach the front of the line and passes the guy behind the counter some money. He goes first and fails miserably but isn’t too bothered.

“I’ve got my heart set on that stupid fucking crab now,” he jokes.

-

“Hey at least I’m still doing better than Egbert, he gives all his dates those prank flowers that squirt water. No wonder he can never get a second date. I keep telling him to stop doing that, but no, he doesn’t listen to his pal Davey,” Dave shakes his head.

He buys a basket of rings for himself and focuses on the layout of the game. Carefully examining the distance to the rings, the velocity of the breeze in the air, the weight of the rings-- nah, just fuckin’ with you, Dave is fucking terrible at sports.

He tosses his first ring and it lands twelve feet away from the ring setup, somehow outside the booth. He shrugs at Karkat, and tosses the rest of them one at a time, each one landing nearly as far away from the rings as physically possible. It’s actually kind of impressive how bad he is at this.

When he’s all out of rings, he lifts his arms in the air, marching in a circle around Karkat, yelling, “Sports! Sports! Sports!”

-

Karkat covers a laugh with a cough and grabs Dave around the waist, hoisting him up over his shoulder.

“Alright, _Davey_ , you’re causing a scene,” he says, moving around the crowds of people to another game where he sets Dave down. “This might be more your speed.”

The booth he chooses has floating rubber ducks. The goal is to pick two that have the same number on the bottom, and the number correlates to a prize. He pays the worker some money and nudges Dave forward. “Let’s hope your luck is less shitty than your skills.”

-

Dave squirms and laughs as Karkat carries him bodily away from the ring toss booth. Mmm, Karkat’s big strong arms around him feel. Really nice. A little too nice. Fuck, he needs to distract himself-- Think about, uh, baseball, or something. Shit, he doesn’t know anything about baseball. Ok, think about… smuppets? Yeah, smuppets are an immediate boner killer for Dave, thankfully.

At the rubber duck booth, he picks out 2 ducks, one has a “6” written on the bottom, and one has a “9.” He shows them to Karkat gleefully. “Look at my fuckin’ excellent luck, man! On my first try!”

The booth manager glances at the ducks he’s holding. “Those aren’t the same number, sir, the 9 has a line at the bottom. Sorry, try again.”

Dave looks at him seriously. “Oh, I know. But I won a prize bigger than any that you have here. I won the prize of an ironic numerological acronym for mutual oral stimulation.”

He turns to Karkat, grinning. “Best. Day. Ever, dude.”

-

Karkat buries his face in his hand and looks at the booth owner who sports an expression of distaste. “I’m sorry about this chihuahua-sized imbecile.”

He turns to Dave, whose grin is blinding, and says,” how does this always happen to you?”

He chooses his ducks next, getting a 5 and a 3 and groans. Whatever, these fucking things are rigged anyway.

“My choices are a bust,” he says. “Which one do you wanna do? Since your luck is *so great* today?”

-

“Let’s try the big whack-a-hammer one,” Dave suggests. “I’m sure I can’t win it but maybe you can, you’re like, big and stuff.” He squeezes Karkat’s bicep in his hand to prove a point, or something.

Pulling Karkat over to the Test Your Strength game, he hands over some money before Karkat can try to pay again.

“One large hammer, please,” he requests, stepping aside so Karkat can have a try.

-

Karkat’s heart flutters when Dave squeezes his arm and he bats him away, rolling his eyes. Dave thinks it’s fucking hilarious that he went from being a pipsqueak to a giant and Karkat’s still not entirely used to his teasing.

He takes the hammer, rolls his shoulders, brings it up over his head, and whips it down with all the strength he can muster. He doesn’t even have time to look up before he hears a loud DING and hears some scattered applause. He glances around to see some of the fair-goers smiling at him and giving him a thumbs up.

The person manning the game asks what prize he wants and he points to the biggest, ugliest stuffed animal he sees, which happens to be a neon rainbow llama. He passes it to Dave with a smirk.

“It’s no angry crab but it’ll do I guess,” he says.

-

Watching Karkat’s muscles bulge out as he wields the bigass hammer makes Dave have… feelings. Of the wanting-to-fuck variety. He clamps down on that shit, seriously, he’s really trying not to perv out on his best friend today. He just wants to enjoy a nice day out with him, doing chill fun friend stuff.

Karkat smashes the hammer, looking like it doesn’t even phase him, and of course the bell rings. Winner winner chicken dinner.

Karkat hands him the prize llama, and Dave cradles it like a baby. “I love him, Karkat. He’s our child. What should we name him? I wanna call him Geromy. Do you like that name, Geromy?” he coos at the toy.

-

Dave is too fucking adorable, holding a giant llama plush and cooing at it. Karkat groans.

“Of course you’re gonna name it after your shitty comic,” he laments. He seriously questions his own taste sometimes.

They walk around the rest of the carnival, playing a few games that look interesting, but don’t win anything else. Dave insists on dragging the llama with them instead of stashing it in the car. When his feet start to hurt, Karkat drags dave back to the food trucks to get more to eat and enjoys the fresh air as they sit at the picnic tables.

The sun is dipping lower in the sky and the rides have all lit up in preparation for darkness falling. The fair itself won’t be closing down for hours.

“You wanna try some more rides? We can go on the baby ones so we don’t upset your delicate stomach,” Karkat teases. He doesn’t have a class tomorrow and he doesn’t think Dave does either. Typically after hanging out they’d wind up crashing in one of their rooms and binging netflix but Karkat isn’t sure what the date protocol is when it’s with your best friend. Either way, he doesn’t really want this to end so soon.

-

Dave’s stomach clenches at the reminder of the dick coaster and he grimaces. “Ha ha, very funny. I guess we could go on a baby ride, if it’s not too *childish* for the big strong tough masculine Karkat Vantas.”

He looks at Karkat to say something else, but he forgets what it was, because the pink streaks in the sky are the exact same color as Karkat’s glowing cheeks. Karkat’s eyes are shining and crinkled happily. Is he wearing-- eyeliner? Shit, it looks really good on him. And his lips look so soft and inviting--

Dave realizes he’s staring with his mouth open, and he quickly shuts it, looking away and blushing.

“So, yeah, any of the baby rides would probably be okay with me,” he mumbles.

-

Karkat can’t hold back a smile--his face is aching from all the smiling he’s been doing today and he doesn’t think he’s ever been so fucking happy. He sees Dave blush, much more visible on his pale skin than Karkat’s, and his stomach flips pleasantly. When they finish eating he can’t help but grab Dave’s hand again, leading him back towards the rides.

They go on a little roller coaster with a red dragon head that’s close to the ground and doesn’t go very fast. They get a few weird looks from parents as they stand in line but Karkat doesn’t give a single shit. Afterwards Karkat drags Dave through the funhouse, poking at Dave’s sides when he stands in front of a mirror that’s supposed to make him look fat and his own in a mirror that thins him out.

Night is really starting to fall and Karkat casts his eyes about for other easy rides they could go on. He spots the ferris wheel and bites his lip. He’s a romantic and he’s always loved the ferris wheel, but Dave is kind of a shit head and thinks it’s stupid. Still, though….

“Wanna do the ferris wheel?” he asks. “Pretty sure that one doesn’t go upside down.”

-

Dave looks at the ferris wheel. It’s very tall. It makes him a little nervous, but he doesn’t want to show it, Karkat’s already giving him so much shit for not being able to handle the ride earlier, he doesn’t need any more ammunition.

“It better not fuckin’ go upside down, or I’ll throw up right in your lap,” he promises. “But yeah, I’m game, let’s ride that bad boy.”

They sit down next to each other in one of the pods, and the metal bar clicks down, locking them in. Dave can’t help it, he’s nervous, and he grabs Karkat’s hand for reassurance.

The ride lifts them higher and higher, and he looks out over the fields. The sun has set by now, the stars are out, and the view of the fair with all the booths and rides lit up is actually kind of breathtaking. Dave’s death grip on Karkat lessens as he relaxes, realizing the ride isn’t actually out to kill him.

-

Dave says yes and Karkat tries not to show that he’s fucking ecstatic. He loves Ferris Wheels.

Dave grabs onto his hand and he’s clearly nervous but Karkat’s needled him enough today; he doesn’t want to actually be an asshole about it. When Dave’s grip loosens he takes the opportunity to lace their fingers together and look out across the fairgrounds.

It’s incredibly nice up in the sky, lights twinkling below. As they slowly ascend Karkat takes a moment to enjoy the fresh air and how pleasantly tired he feels.

“Thanks for coming with me today,” he says. He looks over at Dave and his heart stutters.

The thing is, Dave is just so fucking _pretty_. He’d hate to hear it, but he’s got high cheekbones and a sweet cupid’s bow and Karkat is so fucking stupid over this boy.

-

“Y-yeah, of course,” Dave says. The way Karkat’s looking at him is making his heart pound. His hand is sweating and he really hopes Karkat can’t feel it.

He smiles at Karkat, his best friend, the guy he likes and trusts more than anyone in the world. The guy he’s got a stupid fucking crush on. This is definitely nice, though, don’t get him wrong. Even if they’re not, like… together or anything, he can appreciate just spending time with Karkat platonically.

His eyes linger on Karkat’s mouth, and he looks into Karkat’s eyes, wondering if he can tell how much Dave wants to kiss him right now. Part of him hopes he can, more than anything, and part of him wants to shrivel up and die at the thought. Luckily he’s too much of a coward to do anything about it, so he just sits there, staring at Karkat like a fucking idiot.

-

Dave is staring at him. Or, Karkat thinks he is. It’s hard to tell with his stupid fucking sunglasses. Karkat bites his lip. Fuck he wants to kiss him. Everything is so perfect. _Dave_ is so perfect, and Karkat has never wanted anything more in his life than to kiss this stupid amazing boy senseless.

“Dave--” he starts, then cuts himself off. Just, fuck it, right? It took him six months to ask Dave out, he refused to let it be another six months before working up the courage to kiss him.

He leans forward, hand finding Dave’s cheek, and gently presses their lips together. Dave’s lips are so much softer than he’d ever imagined they would be. He pulls back after a moment, heartbeat pounding in his ears, and tries not to look like a doe-eyed idiot. He’s pretty sure he fails.

-

Holy shit. Karkat’s kissing him right now. Karkat’s lips are on top of Dave’s lips, pressing against them, and his hand is on Dave’s cheek, holy goddamn fuck. Dave barely has a chance to realize what’s happening before Karkat pulls away.

There’s a rushing in his ears and without thinking about it, he leans back in again, before Karkat can change his mind, say he didn’t mean it, push Dave out of the ferris wheel to his plummeting death. Or, you know, something that’s a little less of a violent paranoid nightmare.

He closes his eyes and presses his lips against Karkat’s, deepening the kiss this time. Karkat doesn’t pull away so Dave just keeps kissing him, trying to keep the goofy smile off his face. You’re not supposed to smile when you’re kissing someone, right? That’s weird, isn’t it? Stop thinking about it, Strider, just kiss the damn boy.

-

Dave nearly lunges at him when he pulls back and Karkat would laugh if he wasn’t busy being kissed by the boy he loved. His other hand buries itself in Dave’s soft hair and he sighs into his lips, leaning back against the wall of the pod and pulling Dave with him.

He tilts his head and swipes his tongue across the seam of Dave’s lips, then catches the bottom one lightly with his teeth. He feels Dave smile and he feels so incredibly happy he could float away. Thank god for this stupid bar keeping him locked into the seat, but also fuck it for keeping him from pulling Dave directly into his lap right now.

-

Karkat’s hand is buried in Dave’s hair and his mouth is moving against Dave’s, and it feels fucking incredible. He lets Karkat’s tongue lick into his mouth, and sucks lightly at it, wanting to taste him, to let him in. He actually moans when Karkat’s hand tightens in his hair, and that’s what makes him break away because shit, things are getting downright pornographic up in here.

He subtly adjusts himself in his pants, his face flushed and his heart still pounding.

“So,” he says, his voice cracking. He clears his throat. “That was fun.”

-

Dave is actually. Really good at kissing? Holy fuck. Dave moans and it feels like a zap of electricity down his spine. But then he’s pulling away and Karkat chases after him instinctively for a moment before leaning back and taking a breath.

He huffs out a laugh. “That’s one word for it.”

He could personally think of a plethora of others that would be just as fitting, like amazing, incredible, fucking fantastic, but yeah, fun works too.

During their little makeout session the ferris wheel had descended without them noticing, and when the carnival worker opens their pod to free them she takes in their disheveled appearances and sighs. Karkat blushes but he’s not ashamed, dammit.

“You uh, ready to head back?” he asks as they walk away from the ferris wheel. He really wants to kiss Dave again, holy fuck.

-

Actually though, what the fuck just happened? Dave has no idea. It was great, amazing, excellent, but he has no fucking clue what’s going on here and he’s kind of afraid to ask because it might all come crashing down around him.

Maybe the kissing was, like, a one time thing, and Karkat will never bring it up again. Dave hopes that’s not the case.

“I guess I could be convinced to head out now, yeah,” he answers Karkat. “What did you wanna do, like, go home, or somewhere else? John’s staying at his parents’ this weekend so we could just crash at my place if you want, he never minds if you use his bed.” Secretly, Dave wants Karkat to share his own bed, but no way in hell that’s ever gonna happen. A sleepover could be fun though. Maybe Karkat will even kiss him again if he’s lucky.

-

Karkat’s heart soars when Dave invites him over then crashes down to his feet at the mention of him using John’s bed. Not like he had a problem with it; he’d taken it many times before, but he yeah maybe he was hoping he might get to cuddle Dave for a little bit. Fucking sue him. Still, maybe that was moving too fast? Probably.

“Yeah, sure. But iIf we watch Netflix and you put on _Good Luck Chuck_ again I’m gonna yeet you through a fucking window. Don’t test me, Strider.”

They get back in Dave’s shitty car and he makes a big deal of buckling up the stupid llama plush in the back seat while Karkat rolls his eyes and huffs and pretends it isn’t fucking adorable how much Dave seems to like it. Dave plays his music on the way back and Karkat doesn’t even pretend to mind this time.

-

Back at the dorms, Dave shoves some junk off his bed onto the floor, and throws a couple pillows and blankets down instead. He sets up his laptop on a chair and pulls up Netflix.

“Since I picked the music for the ride home, I guess it’s only fair if I let you pick the movie,” he offers. “‘Sides, I don’t really give a shit what we watch, ‘m too fuckin’ sleepy to pay much attention anyway.”

He sits down in bed, kicking off his shoes and leaning back against the wall. He pats the spot next to him for Karkat to join him, hoping his friend will get the hint and go full cuddle-mode with him.

-

When he enters Dave’s room Karkat makes a beeline to the dresser, shifting Dave’s shit around until he finds the pajamas he keeps there. He’s also got his own toothbrush and spare change of clothes, just like Dave does at his place.

“I should put on _The Notebook_ just to get some much deserved revenge,” he tells Dave as he changes.

No offense to Kanaya but Karkat is so fucking done with this shirt and these dumb tight as fuck jeans. His baggy sweater and loose black pants are so much more comfortable and familiar and he heaves a sigh when he’s finally got them on. He does take the time to fold up his old clothes lest Kanaya see them wrinkled and murder him for it.

He puts on _Pacific Rim_ (the one movie they can agree on), crawls up onto Dave’s bed and gets comfortable, maybe leaning against him a bit too much but Dave doesn’t complain so it’s probably fine.

-

Karkat snuggles into him, and Dave hides a smile, wrapping his arm around his shoulder. He hesitates, then nuzzles his face into Karkat’s hair, for just a moment. Mmm.. he smells good. Like fancy shampoo or something.

Dave tries to focus on the movie, but all he can think about is Karkat’s body leaning warm and solid up against him, Karkat’s lips on his earlier, his hand in his hair, how fucking beautiful he looked with the sun setting behind him. His heart pounds. What the fuck is wrong with him, why is he being like this right now? They’re just chillin’ like bros, his stupid crush has literally no place in this conversation, thank you very much.

He thinks about the kiss from earlier--or, really, makeout session is probably a more appropriate term. They were getting pretty hot and heavy. It was… really good… Fuckdammit. Dave shifts uncomfortably as his body responds in a super-not-called-for way. Hopefully Karkat won’t notice and make fun of him.

-

Dave’s snuggling into him and Karkat bites back a smile. He’s a line of warmth against him, arm wrapped comfortably around his shoulder, and Karkat could fall asleep like this. He has a few times before, too, and it always got him the best sleep.

His eyes are starting to feel heavy but he’s still paying attention to the movie when Dave starts to move around. He expects him to settle but he doesn’t stop, twitching a bit and squirming and Karkat blinks himself back into awareness and pulls back.

“What’s up?” he asks, taking in Dave’s pink cheeks and cocking an eyebrow. “You okay?”

-

Dave startles. “Uh, yeah, everything’s just peachy, man, no problems here, no issues at all, I’ve got even less issues than a porn magazine company that went out of business in, like, the late 90’s when people got computers and started bein’ able to look at nude pics online and shit.”

He bites his mouth shut and forces himself to stop squirming, but his dick takes that unfortunate moment to twitch _very_ obviously in his pants.

Dave panics, he’s sweating now, fuck, can Karkat tell that he’s sweating? Not that he should care if Karkat can tell he’s sweating, since they’re just friends and all, but. It would be a little weird if he was sweating so much that Karkat could tell, right?

-

Dave lets out a little spiel before cutting himself off and Karkat’s worry increases. Dave babbles relentlessly when he’s nervous but Karkat doesn’t know what the fuck he’d be nervous about right now.

Then movement from the corner of his eye catches his attention and he glances very obviously at it. “It” being Dave’s crotch and. Oh. OH.

Karkat can’t help it, he lets out a laugh. Holy shit, why the fuck is Dave hard right now? They’re just watching a movie they’ve seen before, in the exact same position they’ve been in tons of times before.

“Dave, what the fuck?” Karkat grins. Then he leans in and presses their mouths together again, quick and teasing. Dave’s nearly always the one making fun of him but today’s been in Karkat’s favor, it seems.

-

Dave reddens as Karkat calls him out on his trouser snake gone rogue, then blinks in surprise because Karkat’s kissing him again? Just a little short kiss, but. It’s. Really nice. He bites his lip and smiles.

“Sorry,” he sighs, embarrassed. “Just… thinkin’ about, y’know, earlier. _You._ You’re just too fuckin’ hot, man, I can’t help it, I think my dick’s always gonna be hard around you from now on. Sorry, I guess you better get used to me walking bow-legged and covering my crotch with pillows and shit constantly.”

He grabs a blanket and covers himself, pressing his face into his hands, trying to cool down his cheeks. “Just… fuckin’, please don’t tell everyone how embarrassing I am,” he mumbles into his hands.

-

Karkat blushes when Dave calls him hot, even though he’s said so before. Karkat doesn’t see it, personally, but if Dave’s getting his dick hard just overthinking about how they kissed earlier then… well, Karkat might be willing to believe that _Dave_ believes it.

Dave hides his face in his hands but Karkat can see that his ears are bright red. He sounds too fucking vulnerable when he tells Karkat not to tell everyone. Karkat grabs his hands and pulls them away from his face.

“Everyone already knows how embarrassing you are, Dave,” he says, words too teasing for how soft his usual gruff voice sounds. He grimaces and tries again. “I won’t tell anyone.”

He doesn’t know if that covers telling anyone they’re dating but resolves to keep his mouth shut about it just in case, and makes a note to tell Kanaya not to spread it around as well. At least until Dave seems more comfortable with everything.

“C’mon, we’re missing the best part.” He turns back to the movie and leans his head on Dave’s shoulder. “Think about smuppets or something.”

He tries to stick it out for the rest of the movie but Dave is too warm and comfortable at his side. His eyes slip closed not long after and soon he’s lost to the world.

-

The movie is pretty long, and Karkat starts snoring lightly against him, about halfway through. Dave’s eyes are getting heavy as well, and he quietly gets up, turns the movie off and hits the lights.

Karkat’s still in his bed, he seems to have unconsciously curled up against the wall after Dave stood up. Dave looks at John’s bed, then looks back to his own. Is it weird or bad to cuddle with your friend during a sleepover? It’s probably fine, since they were cuddling earlier, and apparently kissing is a thing they do now, too. Cuddling’s like, way less weird than kissing. Not that the kissing was weird, it was good, excellent, ten out of ten kissing. It was just strange that it was happening in the first place. Not that Dave’s gonna complain or anything.

Decision made, he changes into his pajamas and slips into bed, tugging the blankets over Karkat as well. He drifts off, lulled into a peaceful sleep by the sound of Karkat’s breathing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "dave and cow" art by [AllDaveKat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/alldavekat)


	2. Chapter 2

Over the next couple weeks, Dave notices a change in Karkat’s behavior. He starts being a lot more cuddly with Dave than normal; it’s almost like their kiss at the fair started something _more_ , and now Karkat’s holding his hand all the time, sitting on his lap, giving him backrubs, kissing him hello and goodbye, shit like that.

Dave honestly fucking loves it, but it’s also killing him a little bit, because he can’t get rid of these stupid fucking feelings he’s having. In fact, they’re just getting worse by the day. Every time Karkat gives him a warm smile, or a kiss, Dave’s heart leaps in his chest and then sinks to the floor. He hopes his expression isn’t giving away his inner turmoil, because he would hate for Karkat to blame himself for Dave’s obnoxious crush. It’s not Karkat’s fault he’s hot enough to bake a cake on, Dave’s the fuckin’ pervert who can’t keep his grubby little eyes off his best friend’s ass.

He doesn’t say anything about the cuddling and kissing to Karkat, because he doesn’t want it to stop. He knows it’s gonna break his stupid heart whenever Karkat inevitably gets an actual boyfriend or girlfriend he can do this shit with, and stops doing it with Dave anymore, but he just can’t bring himself to care. That’s a problem for Future Dave.

One night, after a dinner out and a couple drinks, which Dave paid for--they’ve started taking turns paying for each other’s meals, rather than splitting the bill every time, which Dave thinks is weird, but whatever--they end up back at Karkat’s dorm, sitting on his bed and making out.

Dave’s straddling Karkat’s lap, sucking on his tongue, and tangling his hands through his hair. He’s hard enough to penetrate steel right now, and he can’t help rocking forward a little, huffing into the kiss as he feels Karkat’s also hard underneath him.

He breaks away for a moment, panting and flushed. “Where’s Sollux at, is he out tonight?” Dave asks. He likes Karkat’s roommate, he’s a chill guy, but he doesn’t exactly want him walking in on--whatever this is that they’re doing right now.

-

Karkat doesn’t think he’s ever been as happy as he has the past few weeks. He and Dave have been dating and holding hands and kissing and it’s everything he’s wanted since he got over his initial dislike of him years ago.

Currently Dave is sitting in his lap, hands lost in Karkat’s hair like they belong there, making little noises as they make out. His hips jerk and give delicious pressure against Karkat’s dick. Dave pulls away to ask about Sollux and Karkat takes the opportunity to lean forward and press his lips to Dave’s pale neck.

“He’s at Aradia’s,” Karkat says, licking a stripe up to Dave’s ear and nipping at it. Sollux might actually be at Feferi’s, Karkat’s not too sure. Sollux has something going on with both of them but that isn’t Karkat’s business and it certainly isn’t his priority right now. “Won’t be back until tomorrow.”

He rolls his hips up to grind against Dave’s and bites back a moan. He has neighbors and the walls are thin, but Karkat’s a loud person in general and that apparently translates to sexy things as well.

-

“Oh thank god,” Dave says. “Cause there’s, like, a lot of things I wanna do to you tonight.”

To prove his point, he runs one of his hands up Karkat’s shirt and teases at his nipple, while grinding up on his dick. Fuck, it feels good to touch him. Karkat’s skin is warm and soft, but he has some muscle tone under the surface. Dave thinks about how much he wants to get tossed around by his huge bff, and shivers.

The friction of his cock rubbing up against his jeans is starting to get uncomfortable, and he stands up for a second to tug them off, dropping them to the floor. He unbuttons Karkat’s pants too and pulls them down, so they’re just sitting there in their boxers and shirts.

Dave can’t help staring at Karkat’s crotch as if trying to manifest x-ray vision to see through his underwear. He’s never like, touched someone else’s dick before, and he’s a little apprehensive about doing it wrong, but it’s probably the same as touching himself, right? He bites his lip, suddenly a little nervous.

-

Karkat lets his head fall back against the wall when Dave runs a finger lightly around his nipple. He watches with hungry eyes as Dave strips his pants off, and lifts his hips to help Dave remove his own. A laugh escapes him when Dave stares at his crotch like it’s about to attack him.

“What happened to all those things you wanna do to me?” he teases, leaning forward to press their lips together with a smirk. His arm wraps around Dave’s waist, pulling him back, and his other hand presses against the front of Dave’s boxers, his dick a warm, solid line against his palm.

Karkat doesn’t know what the fuck he’s doing. They haven’t really gone farther than heavy kissing and frantic dry humping, and Dave is the first guy he’s dated. But holy shit is he ready to do whatever Dave has in mind.

-

“Nothin’, I just got distracted by how good you look,” Dave mumbles against Karkat’s lips.

He reaches down and palms his hand against Karkat’s boxers, sucking in a breath when he feels his hard cock. Moving his hand around, petting and rubbing, he hums happily as Karkat starts reacting. He’s so fucking hot… Dave wants to see him like this all the time, make him feel this good always. He hopes Karkat knows how fucking attracted to him he is.

“You’re so fucking hot, dude,” Dave tells him breathlessly.

He moves his other hand to his own clothed dick, rubbing himself over his underwear for some relief. He almost moans at how good it feels, but holds back, not wanting to be loud and piss off the neighbors.

-

Karkat’s hips twitch up into Dave’s hands, his breath hitching as pressure slowly starts to build. His face feels hot and Dave’s casual compliments make him want to squirm and hide.

“Look who’s talking,” Karkat manages to get out, hands finding the hem of Dave’s shirt and tugging it up and off. Miles of pale skin is revealed and Karkat soaks it up, leaning forward to press a soft kiss to Dave’s chest.

He hooks his arms around Dave’s waist and maneuvers them so Dave is beneath him. He rolls his hips and moans, burying his face in Dave’s neck and nipping at it before pressing kisses down his chest until he gets to his nipple. He flicks his tongue over it and huffs out a laugh when Dave whines.

-

Karkat’s licking his nips and it feels real fucking good. Dave closes his mouth tight, but a few whines still escape him. He runs his hands through Karkat’s tangled, curly hair, watching him lick and suck at his sensitive chest.

He feels so warm and safe with Karkat’s big body on top of him, that it’s actually overwhelming. He looks up at the ceiling for a moment to try and calm down. It’s hard to do, though, when Karkat’s busy touching every part of him, kissing him, making soft little sounds against him. Dave wants him so badly he can’t stand it. He bends down and draws him into a long, deep kiss.

“Can you--” he hesitates, then mumbles, “I just, I want you-- inside me, dude.”

His face burns and he keeps his eyes averted, not wanting to see the expression on his face, afraid Karkat might reject him.

-

Karkat pulls back from the kiss, eyes wide. “Are you--uh, sure?”

He tries to swallow back his nervousness and asks, “Have you done this before?”

Karkat hasn’t. Not with a guy, at least, and not with someone he cared so much about. His other sexual encounters had been rather disastrous, actually. Friendship-ruining, even. But he hadn’t been dating them. It was different with Dave.

He was even prepared. Or, mostly prepared. He was a responsible fucking adult who’d had not one but two embarrassing Talks with his father and carried at least two condoms in his wallet at any given time.

The thought of doing this with Dave--of being inside Dave--is overwhelming and he takes a deep breath, moving so he’s resting on his forearms and searching Dave’s face. He’s not wearing his shades and he looks so vulnerable like this.

-

Dave bites his thumb. “Um, I haven’t exactly done this _specific_ thing before. I mean, I’m not a virgin, but I guess my butthole is. But, uh, I’m familiar with, the basics, y’know, from puttin’ stuff up there by myself.”

His cheeks could literally not be any redder right now. He’s sure there must be ways of soliciting your best friend for anal sex that _don’t_ involve admitting to shoving objects up his own ass for masturbatory purposes. Oh well.

He forces himself to meet Karkat’s eyes.

“I really want it,” he admits. Then, quickly, “Only if you want to, though.”

-

Karkat is suddenly inundated with mental images of Dave masturbating with toys up his ass and he’s pretty sure his face is hotter than the sun.

“No I want to,” he says, too quickly, probably sounding like a desperate tool. He bites his lip and sits up, hands finding the waistband of Dave’s boxers. He waits for Dave’s twitchy nod and lifted hips before he tugs them down, and then Dave is laying naked before him, dick bobbing proudly in the air.

He takes a moment just to stare, properly taking in the image and all the little details; Dave biting his lip, his red cheeks and sweat-damp hair. He is so beautiful and Karkat is at a loss for what to do for a long moment.

He puts his hands on Dave’s thighs, rubbing calming circles into the skin and says eloquently, “uhh… lube?”

-

Dave’s asshole unclenches when Karkat says he wants to. He wants to! They're really gonna do this thing. They’re gonna make butt sex happen.

He almost groans when Karkat gently touches his thighs, but manages to stifle the embarrassing sound. It feels so fucking good though. His dick stiffens even more at the touch, and he can feel-- he just _wants_ , he wants to get fucked, really soon please.

“Lube, yeah, hold on a sec." He grabs his discarded jeans off the floor and digs around for his wallet, emerging victoriously with a lube packet and a condom, which he hands to Karkat.

-

Karkat sets the condom aside for now and fumbles with the lube packet, squeezing out probably too much onto his fingers, but too much is better than too little, right?

He uses his clean hand to nudge Dave’s legs further apart and reaches down. It’s… awkward, and a mess, and Karkat squashes down a nervous laugh as his finger finds Dave’s asshole and pushes in.

“Okay?” He asks, when Dave sucks in a sharp breath. His dick throbs and Karkat grits his teeth. It’ll be replacing his finger soon enough as long as Karkat doesn’t somehow fuck this up, but christ he needs something else to focus on besides the hot pressure around his finger as he slowly moves it in and out.

He leans forward and licks a stripe from the base of Dave’s dick to the tip. He doesn’t know what he was expecting, but it mostly just tastes like skin.

-

Dave’s trying _real_ fuckin’ hard not to blow his load before Karkat even gets his dick inside him. His finger is working in and out sort of clumsily but it’s so hot, it’s perfect, it feels incredible. It’s so much better than doing this to himself.

His eyes widen as Karkat leans down to lick his dick and he lets out a helpless whine, rolling his eyes back up at the ceiling because if he keeps looking at this sight--Karkat sitting there, flushed, with his hair falling in his eyes, staring at his dick like it’s a snack he wants to devour--there’s _no way_ he’s gonna last.

Especially when Karkat’s finger brushes ever so lightly against his prostate, as if by accident, as if he’s teasing. All too soon he feels a telltale pressure building up in his balls, and he quickly grabs Karkat’s wrist, stopping him from moving.

“Sorry-- just-- give me a sec,” he exhales shakily. His cheeks are on fire, this is so embarrassing. “I was getting way too close already, shit--”

-

Karkat’s eyes snap up to meet Dave’s, hand stilling.

“Oh,” he says. It feels like his brain stopped working forever ago. Dave is just. So much more sensitive than Karkat had imagined. So much more reactive. He whines and pants and writhes with every new thing Karkat does and it’s fucking _addicting_. Karkat wants to see everything, wants to be the reason for each new sound.

He moves, sliding up Dave’s body. It puts his wrist at an awkward and kind of painful angle, finger still buried inside him while he waits for Dave’s body to calm down. It’s worth it to be able to kiss him, though. Kissing Dave has quickly become one of his favorite things.

He takes a moment to palm at himself through his boxers and moans into Dave’s mouth. This is so much more than he ever thought he could have.

-

Dave kisses Karkat back, trying to focus on something besides the overwhelming arousal flooding his body. It’s hard. Heh, hard. Karkat moaning into his mouth is not exactly helping the matter, but he’s also hella not complaining about it.

He reaches his hand down inside Karkat’s boxers, wrapping it around his dick, holy shit, he’s touching Karkat’s dick right now. He pumps him gently in the confines of his shorts, then slips them down so he can get a better angle. He takes a good long look at Karkat’s cock, hard and thick in his hand. It’s a really nice dick. Not that he’s seen many dicks in person, but. Whatever, he can tell this is a good fuckin’ dick, okay?

“Nice dick, dude,” he tells Karkat, because compliments are probably a thing you’re supposed to do during sex times.

After a few minutes of touching and kissing Karkat, he cautiously lets go of his wrist. “I think I’m good now. Hff-- just, uh-- yeah. Maybe try and stretch me open without touchin’ my p-spot too much, if you actually want me to last til dick o’clock.”

“Holy shit Dave can you ever be serious?” Karkat demands, but he’s laughing. Dave’s hand around his dick feels amazing, even outweighing the sudden self consciousness that comes with Dave’s attention focused solely on his cock.

He pulls back and situates himself again. He shoots a smirk up at Dave as he adds another finger, pushing in and out a few times before slowly stretching them apart. Dave said he’s had stuff in him before so Karkat isn’t _too_ concerned about hurting him, but he wants to be sure.

And yeah, maybe Karkat had done some intense online research about this over the past couple weeks but he’d rather fling himself out the window before admitting it, especially to Dave.

He adds a third finger after a while and looks up at Dave.

“You okay?” he asks, which is probably the least sexy thing he could have said. Way to go, Karkat.

-

Dave tries to fuck down onto Karkat’s fingers. The stretch is kind of a lot, Karkat’s got some big fuckin’ hands after all, but it feels amazing, perfect. He wants more. He needs more.

“‘M so okay, so fuckin’ good,” Dave pants. “Please dick me down now, dude, I need you, I need it, please? Give it to me good with your downstairs meat pole.”

He swipes a shaky thumb over Karkat’s dickhole, spreading his pre around, still pumping at him lightly, wanting to make him feel good too. Karkat’s being so good to him, taking care of him, checking in with him. It makes his heart do stupid, uncalled-for things. He ignores it. Feelings are dumb, just think about how fuckin’ hot this is right now, okay?

His legs are shaking, his breath coming in pants and moans, his hole fluttering and clenching around Karkat’s thick fingers. His brain has narrowed to a single pinpoint of focus, and all he fucking wants right now is Karkat’s inside him, around him, stretching him open, filling him with his dick and holding him tight while he fucks him.

-

Karkat’s hips twitch up involuntarily into Dave’s hand and it’s amazing.

“If you say the words ‘downstairs meat pole’ to me one more time I’ll never touch yours again,” he says. Christ, why does Dave have to be so fucking ridiculous all the damn time. Why does Karkat have to _like_ it.

He pulls his fingers out and fumbles for the condom, then struggles to get it open and put it on. Holy shit he needs to calm down. It’s not like he’s about to have sex for the first time with the guy he’s in love with or anything.

He coats his dick with more lube and tugs Dave forward, lifting a pale leg over his shoulder as he lines himself up. He grabs his dick and positions it against Dave’s hole, holding his breath as he slowly pushes in. It’s so hot and tight and better than he could have imagined; it takes all his self control not to thrust helplessly into it.

His hand finds Dave’s and he tangles their fingers together, giving his hand a gentle squeeze as he waits for Dave to adjust.

-

Dave giggles as Karkat threatens him, knowing he doesn’t really mean it. Karkat wants his meat pole and he knows it. His asshole feels empty and weird as Karkat's fingers slide out and he waits impatiently while Karkat puts on the condom.

He bites his lip and tries to relax as Karkat eases slowly into him. Holy shit, he’s big, bigger than any of Dave’s toys for sure. It’s so much, and it feels so fucking good. He moans softly, still trying to be quiet for the neighbors’ sake, but unable to keep his noises inside. Karkat squeezes his hand, interlocking their fingers, and Dave squeezes him back.

“Pleasepleaseplease just fuck me, man,” he gasps, squirming and writhing, trying to get some kind of friction going on. It’s delicious, torturous agony, having Karkat just staying still inside him, not moving. Dave feels like he needs to get fucked _now_ or he’s gonna fuckin’ implode.

-

“Always so bossy,” Karkat snarks, but gives in. He pulls out and slides back in, unable to stop the moan building in his throat. It’s so much wonderful pressure and oh god, Karkat isn’t gonna last long, is he? “Fuck, Dave.”

His hips find a rhythm without much input from his brain, which is good because it’s not working too well right now. He turns his head to the side, burying his face in Dave’s leg in an attempt to keep himself quiet, but he’s fighting a losing battle.

He gives it up, pressing a kiss to Dave’s leg as he pulls away and adjusts, leaning forward for a better angle and speeding up his thrusts. Dave is flushed and panting and moaning beneath him and it’s crazy that Karkat is the one doing this, that Dave is _letting_ Karkat do this.

“You look so--” beautiful, ethereal, gorgeous, breathtaking; Karkat could go on but that all seems like so much, somehow, even buried deep inside Dave as he is right now-- “hot, Dave, fuck. You look so good like this.”

-

Karkat’s cock fills him up and stretches him so perfectly every time he thrusts inside, dragging against the sensitive spot in his ass and sending jolts of pleasure through his body. It’s so fucking good, fuck! It’s incredible.

Dave’s mouth is making a lot of noises that he didn’t tell it to make, but he can’t bring himself to care, he’s so completely overwhelmed by how good he feels with Karkat inside him, on top of him, surrounding him. His own dick is red and straining and dripping, his legs are shaking, the burn of Karkat’s dick pulling out and pushing back in, over and over-- it’s everything he’s ever wanted.

It isn’t long at all before he’s close again. He pulls Karkat’s face toward him, kissing him, messy and desperate, whining into his mouth as cum shoots out of his dick and splatters on his stomach. God, he’s so fucking in love with Karkat Vantas. He looks up at his best friend with starry eyes, as he lies there, breathless and blissfully fucked-out.

His heart sinks a little as he reminds himself Karkat’s not in love with him, they’re just friends with benefits, okay? He needs to stop fuckin’ looking at him like that, or Karkat’s gonna figure out that Dave’s majorly crushing on him.

 _Would it be so bad if he did figure it out, though?_ says a little, annoying voice in his head that sounds a _lot_ like Rose. He closes his eyes and tells the voice to shut the fuck up.

-

Karat feels himself getting closer and closer with every noise Dave makes, and when he’s pulled in for a sloppy, breathtaking kiss it’s too much. He cums harder than he ever has in his life and swears he sees stars.

He comes back to himself enough to feel the sticky wetness of Dave’s own cum smeared between them. He pulls out, still a bit dazed, removes the condom and tosses it in the trash. He hears Dave mumbling something to himself and his heart fills with fondness.

He lays back down, tucking himself up against Dave and burying his face in his neck. They’re both sweaty and gross and it’s amazing. Karkat’s delightfully exhausted and he’s pretty sure he’s gonna get the best sleep of his life, and wake up to his ridiculous boyfriend, and he’s never been happier.

Then Dave’s mumbling starts to make sense in his brain, and he blinks himself back to awareness.

“Who’re friends with benefits?” he asks sleepily.

-

“What?” Dave says as Karkat nuzzles into him and asks him a question. Oh fuck, he realizes, he must have been talking out loud just now. Hopefully he didn’t say any of that shit about being in love with Karkat at least, Jesus. “Uh, we are, dude. Or did you miss the memo when you had your dick in my butt a second ago?”

Quickly he tries to play it off, just in case Karkat _did_ hear some of the other shit he was probably spewing. “Yep, friends who have casual sex, that’s us. It’s great, awesome even, I like it, you like it, it’s perfect. No romantic feelings necessary here, who needs a boyfriend when you can have good old fashioned no-strings-attached sex between friends,” he rambles.

Phew, problem totally solved. Dave congratulates himself on deftly avoiding an awkward conversation.

-

Karkat pulls away, propping himself up on his elbow and staring down at Dave.

“Casual sex,” he repeats blankly. “No romantic feelings.”

It sinks in suddenly, what Dave is saying, and Karkat’s heart shatters. Holy fucking shit, how could he be so stupid? He’d thought-- It doesn’t matter what he thought. He can’t do this, not here, in front of Dave, who doesn’t want a boyfriend; who wants no-strings-attached sex.

He jerks back, nearly falling off the bed. Anger rises in his chest and Karkat takes comfort in it for now. Anger is familiar. He can do anger. He ignores the stinging and pressure building in his eyes.

“Right,” he spits out. “Of fucking course.”

He gets up and scrambles for his clothes, throwing on his boxers and pants and grimacing at the drying cum still on his stomach and chest.

“I should go,” he manages. His voice is loud even though he’s trying to stay calm. “Since we’re just fuck buddies.”

-

Karkat jerks away from him, spitting out angry words, and Dave’s happy little afterglow bubble bursts. Did he say something wrong? Karkat’s acting really pissed at him, fuck. He tries not to cringe away from his sharp movements and loud words, but he’s pretty sure he fails.

“Hey, wait-- what’s going on, Karkat?” he asks, trying to keep the panic out of his voice. “Are we-- is that not what’s happening? I thought…”

He trails off helplessly as Karkat finishes getting dressed.

“We _are_ friends, aren’t we?” he asks pathetically.

He hates how fucking vulnerable he sounds. His heart is aching with a sharp pain, and Karkat won’t fucking look at him. What did he do? They were having a perfectly good time just a moment ago. He grits his teeth. How does he always manage to fuck everything up?

-

Karkat doesn’t think he’s ever been so angry in his entire life. He whips around and glares. Dave’s face is open and vulnerable, eyes wide, and Karkat squashes down the urge to comfort him. He’s _angry_ , dammit.

“Are you fucking with me right now, Strider?” he demands. His hands are clenched into fists and they’re shaking. “ _Friends?!_ I thought we were fucking dating! But apparently I’m the biggest idiot to ever have the misfortune of walking this miserable earth because we’re just _friends with benefits_.”

He’s nearly panting by the end of his rant. He clenches his teeth. He wants to scream. This is so unfair. He thought Dave _liked_ him, thought he might have had a chance at Dave _loving_ him one day, but of course not. What was there to like about Karkat Vantas, anyway?

So fucking stupid.

-

“Wait-- wh--” Dave stutters. “Dating?” He feels like his mind is moving in slow-motion; Karkat’s running circles around him, and he can’t keep up, nothing is making sense.

“Why did you think we were dating?” he asks. “I-- shit, do you even _like_ me that way?”

Despite everything, his heart soars at the idea that Karkat might actually have feelings for him. Is that possible?? There’s no way, right? God, he’s fucking this up so hard.

The expression on Karkat’s face is sullen and angry, he’s red-faced with rage and breathing hard, but his lower lip is trembling. Is there a chance that Karkat actually feels the same way about him? Fucking shit, Dave needs to say something, he’s just staring at Karkat like an asshole.

“I like you,” he finally blurts out. “Fuck. I don’t know if you even like me that way, so I never said anything, but apparently I’m saying something now. Uh-- yeah. I’ve had a stupid crush on you for, like, _years_. I just didn’t think you would ever feel the same way. That’s why-- that’s why I said all that shit about friends with benefits. Cause I didn’t want to fuck up what we have.”

His face burns, and his mouth gapes open in sudden realization.

“Wait, holy shit, was that-- when we went to the fair the other week, was that a _date_?” His voice pitches way too high on the last word and he cringes at himself.

-

Karkat takes a deep breath. That was… a lot to process. Anger and rejection are still running through his veins and he doesn’t know how to stop it. His mouth runs without his brain’s input, and it’s like watching a train wreck.

“OF COURSE IT WAS A DATE! What the fuck, Dave?! I held your hand! I won you that stupid stuffed llama! I _kissed you_ on the _ferris wheel_ at _sunset_!”

He buries his hands in his hair and lets out a frustrated yell as he tugs it.

“Did you miss the time I _grabbed your ass_ at the supermarket? Or when I fucking took you out to that pretentious as shit restaurant? You sit in my goddamn lap when we watch movies! I kissed your forehead! How much more obvious could it be that I. Am. In. Love. With. You!”

He clamps his mouth shut, eyes widening. He didn’t mean to say that.

“Fuck.” He makes for the door. He has to get out of here.

-

Dave gapes at Karkat as he rants at him. _I’m in love with you._ Does he really mean it?? Then Karkat’s eyes widen and he curses, moving to leave the room.

“Wait!” Without thinking, Dave jumps up from the bed and rushes toward Karkat. He grabs his arm, pulling him around, and leans up to kiss him. It’s fierce and passionate, and unbelievably soft.

He pulls back and looks Karkat in the eyes. He’s done hiding how he feels if it means hurting his best friend like this.

“Karkat, I-- I’m in love with you too.”

His heart is pounding through his chest, and he suddenly realizes he’s still buck naked. Eh, what the fuck ever.

“So, um, what do you say. Will you be my boyfriend?” he asks nervously. Fuck, if Karkat says no it’s gonna break his heart, but he deserves to have Dave finally put his feelings on the line for him. Dave just hopes he didn’t ruin everything by being such a goddamn idiot.

-

He can’t handle his emotions changing so drastically so fast. Dave kisses him, soft and sweet and desperate, like he’s pouring everything into it, and Karkat can’t help but kiss him back.

Dave says he loves him too and Karkat can’t believe it. Is Dave just saying that to appease him? To stop him from being angry? To try to save their friendship?

But no, Dave’s eyes are staring into him and he’s… scared. His eyes are wide and beautiful, his hair is a mess and he’s completely naked, clinging to Karkat like a lifeline, and just like that the anger seeps out of him.

He pulls Dave into him, wrapping his arms around him and tucking his chin over his head.

“Yes, you idiot. I’ll be your boyfriend.”

He sighs, burying his face in Dave’s hair. “I can’t believe this. How did you not know we were dating? Can I actually tell people this time?”

He sounds like he’s bitching but he’s exhausted. There’s a cautious hopefulness blooming in his stomach. Dave said he loves him. Dave _loves_ him. Dave loves _him_.

-

Dave’s heart swells as Karkat pulls him close, tucking him under his chin.

“Sorry I’m such a dumbass, man,” he says, grinning into Karkat’s chest. “But like, you literally never said it was a date! How was I supposed to know?”

He nuzzles his face against Karkat--against his boyfriend! “And hell fucking yes you can tell people. That is... unless I tell them first!”

Scrambling out of Karkat’s arms, he dives for his phone on the bed, and pulls up a group memo to their friends. He posts, “hey guys davekat is canon go ahead and mark it off on your shipping charts” and then shuts his phone off, smiling innocently at Karkat.

-

Karkat narrows his eyes. “What did you just do?”

Then his phone starts going crazy with notifications. He digs it out of his pocket and groans when he opens the group memo. A lot of exclamation points, some question marks, a congratulatory “ii don’t care. 2top addiing me to thii2 memo” from Sollux and a “weren’t you already dating?” from Jade. Kanaya tosses in her “I Am Glad Dave Is Finally Comfortable Sharing” which sets them off again.

Karkat groans and turns his phone off. He glares at Dave, ignoring how attractive he looks with a shit-eating grin stretching across his face.

“You suck so much,” he says. “If there was a competition for being the most annoying fucking person alive you would destroy the competition.”

He sweeps Dave up into a bridal carry and tosses him gently onto the bed. He strips back down to his boxers and joins his boyfriend (his _actual_ boyfriend now).

“Go to sleep. You’re exhausting,” he tells Dave.

-

Dave’s spent dick twitches weakly as Karkat yeets him onto the bed. Holy shit, he has a boyfriend now, a huge sexy one who can just throw him around like a sportsball.

He grabs his boxers and tugs them on so his dick isn’t just flapping in the wind anymore. Karkat lies down and Dave wraps his arm around him, snuggling into his chest. He presses a kiss to his neck.

“You know you love it,” he says.

Then he realizes, Karkat _does_ love it. He loves _Dave_. His face heats up, his heart thumps, and he tries to smother a smile by burying his face in Karkat’s chest. It kind of works--Karkat’s got a really big chest.

He yawns and closes his eyes. “Night, ‘Kat,” he mumbles sleepily. Karkat rumbles a “Night” back at him, and he drifts happily off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "nice dick, dude" art by [@Koa_Doodles](https://twitter.com/koa_doodles/)
> 
> "dick o'clock" art by [aceAdoxography](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aceAdoxography/pseuds/aceAdoxography)

**Author's Note:**

> Karkat: @AAdoxography  
> Dave: @alldavekat
> 
> come say hi in the [davekat discord server](https://discord.gg/wGqTQmN) (18+)!


End file.
